In the final game of today’s five-game WNBA slate, the Golden State Valkyries will host the Seattle Storm. This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams, with the Valkyries picking up a 76-70 win the first time they squared off.
On the season overall, the Storm hold a 10-6 record and are tied for fourth place in the WNBA. The Valkyries have impressed in their inaugural season, sitting just one spot below them in the standings after getting off to an 8-7 start to the year.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Storm enter as 5.5-point favorites and -245 on the moneyline. The Valkyries hold +200 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 158.5.
Storm at Valkyries preview
The Storm have been playing good basketball as of late and enter tonight’s game having won seven of their last nine games. They are coming off a 97-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Friday night. Seattle ranks third in the league in scoring at 84.2 points per game. It leads the WNBA with a 47.0% field-goal percentage and is connecting at the second-best three-point rate at 36.6% while turning the ball over at the second-best rate in the league. Defensively, opponents are scoring 79.6 points per game, which ranks sixth, and the Storm are sixth in the league in defensive rating.
Skylar Diggins headlines the production for the Storm with 19.0 points and 6.1 assists per game. Nneka Ogwumike complements her in the frontcourt with 17.6 points and a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per contest. Gabby Williams is a key connector, adding 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while leading the entire WNBA with 2.6 steals per game. Erica Wheeler is the lone other player averaging in double-figures with 11.3 points to go along with 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds, while connecting on 41.7% of her three-point attempts.
The Valkyries have turned things around from a difficult start and enter tonight’s game having won six of their last eight. They most recently defeated the Chicago Sky and have bounced back after getting off to a 2-5 start to the season. Golden State ranks 10th in the league in scoring at 79.2 points per game. Its efficiency has been a problem as the Valkyries rank dead last in the league in field-goal and three-point percentage while attempting the second-most perimeter shots per game. Opponents are scoring just 78.5 points per game against Valkyries, which is the third-best rate. Golden State also ranks fourth in defensive rating, and opponents are shooting just 40.3% against the team, which is tied with the Liberty for the best rate in the league.
Kayla Thornton headlines the production with 15.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Veronica Burton is the team’s best playmaker with 5.2 assists per game in addition to her 10.2 points and 3.8 rebounds. Tiffany Hayes, Janelle Salaun, Temi Fagbenle and Cecilia Zandalasini are each also averaging over 10 points per game on the year. Zandalasini has played just four games with the team thus far, but she exploded for 18 points in the previous game and has shot 8-for-17 (47.1%) from beyond the three-point arc so far.
Storm at Valkyries prediction, pick
The Storm are a good team and deserve the respect of the books. However, the Valkyries have defeated them once, and I like their chances of doing the same tonight. It is worth noting that Seattle was a 10-point favorite ahead of the June 14th matchup. Kayla Thornton torched the Storm for 22 points in their first matchup and enters tonight’s game having eclipsed 16 points in seven of her past eight outings.
The Valkyries have covered in five straight games as home underdogs this year. They are 5-1 ATS as home underdogs and won four of these contests outright.
Golden State has taken some huge strides forward defensively as the season has progressed. While their shooting splits are still a work in progress, the Valkyries outrebounded the Storm 33-20 and outscored them in the paint 46-26 in the first matchup. Expect some similar success tonight as the Valkyries continue to play their way into being viewed as a quality team. These teams are more equal than the 5.5-point spread indicates. I am backing Golden State to cover and give it a chance of winning outright on the +200 moneyline. Oddsmakers are still not showing the Valkyries much respect, and I would bet this changes soon. With Golden State playing good basketball and with the home crowd behind it, look for it to defeat the Storm for the second straight matchup.
